English High followed suit the next week with a closed meet. Unfortunately, spiked shoes were not allowed, as the games were held in the school armory, but nevertheless the feats were very creditable, especially the high jump, which was won by Converse, who cleared 5 feet 4 inches with little difficulty. It was evident that he can do much better than that. Dow at 1000, Purtell at 600, and Emery at 300, were the best distance-runners. Dow runs with a very graceful stride, and is a clever racer, as witness his deed in the Cambridge Latin open games, when running practically from scratch, he finished second only to Blakemore, the Harvard crack, who had five yards handicap over him. Purtell can do 600 yards in excellent form, but seems to need more experience in hard races. Emery showed his mettle by winning the open scratch 300 in the Cambridge games from a big field of starters. In the dash O'Brien and Duffy are the best men, but neither is a star. O'Brien, however, is a sure man in the shot-put, throwing it 38 feet 2 inches in the English High games.
Roxbury Latin's games were not so interesting to interscholastic enthusiasts, since most of the events were crowded with college men. Brewer and Hallowell of Hopkinson's, however, did good work in the dash and hurdles, respectively, and Warren of Cambridge put the shot 34 feet 8 inches.
The Newton High games were the most successful of the school meets. Cotting was the star of the day, winning the closed high jump, shot-put, and 300. Sever of Cambridge Latin was the best interscholastic man in the open 30, as was Martin of Hopkinson's in the 600. Martin won his heat by the cleverest kind of racing, but was unable to get through the big field of starters in the final. Carleton, Captain of Hopkinson's team, won the open 440 after a hard race. A relay race was run off between Brookline High and Newton High. Brookline led all the way, until Cotting, who ran last for Newton, pulled out the race in the last ten yards.
Boston Latin held a closed meet in the school armory, and, as in the English High games, no spikes were allowed. Maguire was the star of the day, winning the dash and hurdles as well as the 300-yard run. Lincoln did well in the 1000. The shot-put and high jump were not extraordinary performances, but the 300 brought out a good field.
Cambridge High and Latin held an open meet February 29th. Only one closed event was run—the dash. Garrett and Sever divided honors in this, both running in excellent form. In the open dash, which was crowded with college men, Brewer of Hopkinson's reached the final heat, and but for the handicap he received for a couple of false starts, would probably have made a place. Seaver of Brookline won the open hurdle race. Hallowell of Hopkinson's takes the hurdles with a much better step, but seems to lack the necessary speed. The 300, which was a scratch event, was won by Emery, E.H.-S. Abrams of Chauncy Hall, and Thompson of Cambridge Manual, won their heats in flashy style, but both were unfortunate in meeting with accidents in the final. Young of C.M.T.S. was the only school-boy to get a place in the 600. As noted above, Dow, E.H.-S., got second in the 1000. No interscholastic men got placed in the high jump or pole-vault; and the performances in the shot-put were not up to the average.
Of these men, Dow of English High, and Mills of Chauncy Hall, are coming to New York to compete in the N.M.A.C. games at the Madison Square Garden next Saturday. Dow has made a good record for himself in the New England League. He made his début on the track in the summer of 1894, getting placed in five of the first six races he ran in. During 1895 and 1896 he won numerous other places in open competition, and has so far in his career of not quite two years captured three first, eight second, and six third places. Mills has achieved quite a local reputation as a long-distance and cross-country runner, his last performance being at the B.A.A. games last February, where he made a brilliant showing in the two-mile invitation run. He competes in interscholastic circles this year for the first time. He is best in the long-distance runs ranging from one to ten miles. Both Mills and Dow are but nineteen years of age.
Two Connecticut Leagues will be represented at the big indoor games. In addition to the men who are coming from the Hartford High-School and from the Hillhouse High-School of New Haven as representatives of the C.H.-S.A.A., there will be a strong team from the Black Hall School to represent the Southern Connecticut I.S.A.A., and there seems little doubt that this last aggregation will carry off the pole-vault event with ease. Paulding, who is entered for this, did 10 ft. 3 in. at the Yale games a week ago Saturday, and has done 10 ft. 7 in. out-of-doors. The N.Y.I.S.A.A. record is only 9 ft. 4 in., and that was made by Simpson of Barnard last year. The other men who are coming down from Black Hall are Cleveland in the 50 yards, who has no record for that distance, but has a record of 10-4/5 sec. in the 100 yards; Aborn in the mile, who can run in about 5 min.; Coolidge in the high jump, who has a record of 5 ft. 3½ in.; and Green in the 440, who has no record as yet, but is a promising man, and may enter also in the 50 yards.
The order of track events at the N.M.A.C. games Saturday night will be as follows: 50-yard dash, Senior, trial heats; 50-yard dash, Junior, trial heats; 440-yard run, trial heats; 50-yard hurdles, trial heats; one-mile walk; 50-yard dash, Senior, final heat; 50-yard dash, Junior, final heat; 50-yard hurdles, final heat; one-mile run; 440-yard run, final heat; 220-yard dash, trial heats; half-mile run; 220-yard dash, final heat; school relay race; college team race. The 50-yard trials will be called at 7 o'clock sharp, and will probably take up an hour's time to run off. The walk will be started promptly at 8 o'clock.
The field events will also be started at 8 o'clock, and all four of them, the jumps, the shot, and the vault, will be carried on at the same time. If any competitor is entered for two field events, he will have to take his turn at each when his name is called, or forfeit his chance. This plan has been adopted, after careful consideration, in order to avoid the long delays usually attendant upon field events. The school race will be a relay race—each man of the four entered by each school to run a quarter of a mile. The college race, however, is to be a team race, all the contestants to start together, and every man to run a mile.
The track will be of clay and loam, six inches deep and twenty feet wide, rolled hard. Consequently spike shoes will be allowed, and, as a result, there ought to be considerable record-smashing. Spike shoes will also be allowed in the jumps.